***Bill Bruford with Ralph Towner and Eddie Gomez

IF SUMMER HAD ITS GHOSTS

(Discipline Global Mobile)

King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford is no stranger to jazz. He led the acoustic fusion group Earthworks in the late '80s, but it's always been a part of his distinctive polyrhythmic vocabulary. Here, joined by guitarist/pianist Towner and bassist Gomez, Bruford leads a session so nuanced that it recalls the work of the Bill Evans Trio or the early days of ECM Records -- music that presaged "new age." Indeed, Gomez is a veteran Evans sideman, and Towner's group Oregon recorded for ECM. So it's no wonder that "Forgiveness" and "Splendour Among Shadows" interweave melody and harmony, building gossamer layers around acoustic guitar or piano. Bruford trades propulsion for gentle strokes, often using brushes to create texture. At their best, this trio play with a warm, ephemeral grace that makes their summer ghosts seem like comforting guardian angels.

-- Ted Drozdowski